They Pierce Not, They Cut Not, They Fly Not
Fervent prayer, characterized by importunity and a heavenly fire, is the key to bringing down blessings from heaven and experiencing the power of God in our lives.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the power of fervent prayer, illustrating that cold prayers lack the ability to reach God and bring blessings. He encourages believers to approach God with passion and urgency, likening fervent prayers to arrows drawn back fully, which can pierce deeply and fly swiftly to heaven. Brooks warns that prayers without fervor are ineffective, comparing them to arrows without points or swords without edges. He highlights that true devotion and warmth in prayer are essential for experiencing God's omnipotence and blessings. Ultimately, fervent prayer is portrayed as a vital practice for the righteous, capable of achieving much.
Text
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much." James 5:16
Cold prayers call for a denial.
Be fervent, be warm, be importunate with God in all your
closet duties and performances. Certainly, all those usual
phrases of crying, wrestling, and striving with God, which
are scattered up and down in Scripture, strongly show
that holy importunity and sacred violence which the saints
of old have expressed in their addresses to God.
Fervency feathers the wings of prayer, and makes them
fly the swifter to heaven. An arrow, if it be drawn up but
a little way, flies not far; but if it be drawn up to the head,
it will fly far, and pierce deeply. Just so, fervent prayer
flies as high as heaven, and will certainly bring down
blessings from thence.
Look! as in a painted fire there is no heat; so in a cold
prayer there is no heat, no warmth, no omnipotency,
no devotion, no blessing. Cold prayers are like arrows
without points, as swords without edges, as birds without
wings: they pierce not, they cut not, they fly not up
to heaven. Such prayers as have no heavenly fire in them,
do always freeze before they reach as high as heaven.
But fervent prayer is very prevalent with God.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Fervent Prayer
- Characteristics of Fervent Prayer
- The Power of Fervent Prayer
- Fervent Prayer Brings Down Blessings
- The Failure of Cold Prayers
Key Quotes
“Fervency feathers the wings of prayer, and makes them fly the swifter to heaven.” — Thomas Brooks
“Cold prayers are like arrows without points, as swords without edges, as birds without wings: they pierce not, they cut not, they fly not up to heaven.” — Thomas Brooks
“But fervent prayer is very prevalent with God.” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- We must approach God with importunity and sincerity in our prayers if we want to experience the power of God in our lives.
- Fervent prayer is the key to bringing down blessings from heaven and experiencing the power of God in our lives.
- Cold prayers are ineffective and fail to reach heaven, so we must strive to pray with fervency and passion.